Horizon Center park working toward state certification readiness

An Oak Ridge Economic Partnership official says that by the end of April at least two areas inside the Horizon Center business park should be well on the way to state certification.

by Beverly Majors/Staff

An Oak Ridge Economic Partnership official says that by the end of April at least two areas inside the Horizon Center business park should be well on the way to state certification.

Kathy Barber talked briefly about the certification during a recent Industrial Development Board work session.

The IDB has been in the process of developing the Horizon Center for placement in the Select Tennessee Certified Sites Program as a certified site for industrial development.

The program was developed to push Tennessee’s industrial park sites as "ready" for economic development projects. The program will market the sites to a targeted group of site selection consultants and business leaders in Tennessee’s key industry clusters, according to the program's website.

To be certified, the site has to meet certain criteria, including having at least 20 developable acres; utilities on site or a formal plan in place; be free of environmental liabilities or has a mitigation plan in hand; has minimized risk factors for development;

and is certified for three years by two professional site selection consulting firms.

Barber said the Partnership is still working with the Tennessee Valley Authority on two areas of Horizon Center, adding that the Army Corps of Engineers will soon visit the site to verify its status.

IDB member Chris Johnson complimented Barber and others who are working “behind the scenes” at Horizon, stating she and the others “aren’t being acknowledged.”

IDB also discussed services at the park, including landscape care and maintenance, and utilities.

“Jack Suggs (the city’s electric department director) said it would take about a year” to get more power to the industrial park, IDB Board Chairman David Wilson said. “They (the city) don't have a 69 kV transformer there.”

Members discussed possible solutions to potential power problems at the site, but made no decisions. However, they did talk about the possible cost of overhead power lines versus underground lines and extending lines from the Wiltshire Road area transformer to the park.

They also talked about the city’s role in helping to keep companies in Oak Ridge, with Wilson stating that companies wanting to “expand run into restrictions.”

He said Oak Ridge has more restrictions in a lot of areas than Knox County.

Wilson said he has heard that “dealing with the city is not the friendliest, easiest thing to do. That may or may not be true.”

Wilson talked about the city sign ordinance, which has recently come to light because of possible violations, stating, “the point is it can be very frustrating.”

The IDB decided to put together a list of priorities and how to solve potential problems.